So here’s the deal, this is the week of Erin’s and my anniversary.
37 Years
on Thursday
(and counting)
All three of my Blog posts this week will center around
ANNIVERSARIES
RELATIONSHIPS
OTHERNESS
that can never be achieved as a Solo Flier. . .
And though you may feel like getting an extra order of hotcakes
(with all of the syrup flowing)
just grab another cup of coffee
or a cold glass of iced-tea
and spend some intentional moments
with ONE
who makes moments Momentous. . .
AND FOR THE RECORD:
THERE’S NEVER ENOUGH SYRUP. . .
KEEP IT FLOWING
What about THEM Apples ?
I was never good at Math;
I’m still not. . .
and some have actually said,
“It’s because you never applied yourself!”
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. . .
Maybe
but
THEY SAY
Math is pure
and it explains everything. . .
T H E Y
don’t know
e v e r y t h i n g. . .
5 + 4 = 9
but so does
6 + 3
and
8 + 1
or even
10 – 1
and many more options
so how exact is Math;
HOW PURE. . . ?
and more:
WHO IS RIGHT?
W a i t. . .
W h a t. . .
are we talking about Math,
a n y m o r e
S O M E T I M E S
the things
that aren’t so
E X A C T
that can’t be
F I G U R E D
give you the most wonderful
a n s w e r s
without showing your work
( but actually/factually living IT )
How about them, Apples?
Hey. . .
How’s
YOUR
M A T H
. . .go figure!
FIGURING “IT” OUT
Was it an accident
was it a mistake
or was it a blessing. . . ?
She was a new waitress and she inadvertently gave me the check of somebody else after she’d already given me my check.
Two things: instead of making her feel like a Queen Duh or worst, getting offended; I thanked her.
She looked shocked and embarrassed. And then I explained that sometimes a blessing finds you without looking for it;
confused I continued by admitting I’m the most selfish customer she’s ever had. . .
By doing something
GOOD
KIND
CARING
COMPASSIONATE
LOVING
it actually makes me feel better—SELFISH
and that sometimes I get to be real
S E L F I S H
when an accident
and a mistake
h a p p e n s
like getting my check and someone else’s and
THAT’S
when it turns into a
B L E S S I N G. . .
I don’t know if she fully got it
But I did
I told her to tell the lady who’s check she gave me,
“SOMEBODY OWED HER, AND THANK YOU.”
So was it an accident
was it a mistake
or was it a blessing. . .
Sometimes it takes a while to figure that out
and at other times it’s sledge hammer
right-between-the-eyes-knock-you-to-your-knees-watch-the-funk-pour-out enlightening:
The accident and mistake equal
THE BLESSING
ITS PURE MATH;
Even more sure than 1+1=2
but we would never bet our life on it. . .
Do it. . .
Make the bet
Don’t read a blog post and wonder if it’s
true/false
real/fake
Make THE BET
and find out once and for all:
IT’s ALL A BLESSING—
especially when it looks like it never adds
UP RIGHT
Statistically Speaking
Here’s what I know about Statistics:
I don’t want to know about Statistics. . .
Even when I’m trying
not to be a Statistic
it makes me O N E. . .
A N D
for some odd reason
we care
we worry
we organize
we itemize
we calculate
we add
we subtract
we multiple
we divide
we fraction
we integer
ourselves into a frenzy
that the best cocktail of anti-anxiety pills
couldn’t begin to reach
touch
faze
or eliminate. . .
let alone figure out
the probability
the analytics
that 1 + 1
will never equal 3
even though it continually
has shown that its tantamount of that
and so very much more. . .
Hmmmmmmmmmm of the Day:
What are the odds
The Percentages
we’ll ever really figure
I T
o u t. . .
Psssssssssssssssst of the Day:
L O W
if any at all. . .
If that doesn’t French Fry
your Baked Potato
(which already statistically out-chromosomes us)
nothing will. . .
add t h a t up
Being a Caring Catalyst
doesn’t eliminate
New Math
or any form of analytics
or statistics
it just doesn’t get bogged down in stopping
what a Caring Catalyst does best:
C A R E
A New Math–A Matter of Taste
Do me a favor, please. . .
Take a quick pop quiz for me;
Oh, come on,
it’s not going to be that bad for a Wednesday
. . .and besides,
I’m going to give you the answer:
Deal?
The A N S W E R I S:
T H R E E
Are you ready?
Here we go:
Pick a number between 1 and 10. . .
Multiple that number by 2. . .
Add 6. . .
Now divide that number by 2. . .
One last step. . .
are you ready?
Subtract the original number you picked between 1 and 10. . .
Allakazam. . .
Abracadabra. . .
YOUR ANSWER IS THREE!
I don’t know how that works out,
but I LOVE THAT IT DOES–every time;
old or new or core math. . .
it makes no difference,
THE ANSWER IS THREE!
So. . .
so what, right?
Well, I’ve used that example hundreds of times over the past twenty plus years with groups of a few to a few hundred and everyone always gasps with amazement;
I tell folks that it’s one of my favorite definitions/illustrations of Spirituality. . .
We may all start out with a different number
but we all arrive at the same place
I N T H E E N D !
I was reminded of that this by a patient who had just been diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer about 6 months ago. . .
He did the research and to his mind felt that with or without interventions/chemo his life span was about the same and with that he chose to forego Chemo and choose Hospice to live out his days with quality since quantity wasn’t in the equation any longer.
He told me that he
NOW KNOWS HE’S GOING TO DIE
instead of just merely believing that one day he will die. . .
He said,
T H A T ‘ S A G A M E C H A N G E R ?
I didn’t ask him,
nor do I ask anyone else,
WHAT THEY BELIEVE. . .
I asked,
What S U S T A I N E D HIM?
He told me family and friends and his S P I R I T U A L I T Y. . .
I asked him what that his spirituality meant
and he told me
an openness and acceptance of all things and all people
And then. . .
he gave me such a beautiful illustration:
The night before many family members had been there to visit him and he pointed out the different kinds of water everyone had brought to drink. . .
DIFFERENT NAMES BUT ALL THE SAME !
Hmmmmmmmmm of the day:
What I call H2O you call WATER. . .
It’s a matter of taste, isn’t it?
How absurd is it for me to make fun or shun
or actually kill you for saying:
MY WATER is better
than YOUR WATER ?
Or. . .or that my ultimate love of Pecan Pie
is more right than your affection of
Mincemeat Pie?
Dare we agree that we may all be saying the same things–
D I F F E R E N T L Y ?
Blindfolded,
Would you be able to tell the difference between
Crystal Geyser,
Evian,
Fiji,
Aquafina,
Dasani
or the Costco
or Wall-Mart brands?
Pick a number between 1 and 10. . .
Sip. . .no,
drink deeply and notice that we–
all of us–
truly are only quenched when we’re thirsty
(AND WE’RE ALL THIRSTY FOR THE SAME THING BY A DIFFERENT NAME)